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Life Sentences
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
11 posts | 14 read | 6 to read
Author Cassandra Fallows has achieved remarkable success by baring her life on the page. Her two widely popular memoirs continue to sell briskly, acclaimed for their brutal, unexpurgated candor about friends, family, loversand herself. But now, after a singularly unsuccessful stab at fiction, Cassandra believes she may have found the story that will enable her triumphant return to nonfiction. When Cassandra was a girl, growing up in a racially diverse middle-class neighborhood in Baltimore, her best friends were all black: elegant, privileged Donna; sharp, shrewd Tisha; wild and worldly Fatima. A fifth girl orbited their worlda shy, quiet, unobtrusive child named Calliope Jenkinswho, years later, would be accused of killing her infant son. Yet the boy's body was never found and Calliope's unrelenting silence on the subject forced a judge to jail her for contempt. For seven years, Calliope refused to speak and the court was finally forced to let her go. Cassandra believes this still unsolved real-life mystery, largely unknown outside Baltimore, could be her next bestseller. But her homecoming and latest journey into the past will not be welcomed by everyone, especially by her former friends, who are unimpressed with Cassandra's successand are insistent on their own version of their shared history. And by delving too deeply into Calliope's dark secrets, Cassandra may inadvertently unearth a few of her ownforcing her to reexamine the memories she holds most precious, as the stark light of truth illuminates a mother's pain, a father's betrayal . . . and what really transpired on a terrible day that changed not only a family but an entire country.
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Susanita
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
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1. Tagged book that I picked up from someone in my free cycle group.

2. I stumbled on a series of Hamilton reaction videos. Very thorough and insightful.

3. Tom and Lorenzo‘s podcast gives me joy most weeks, especially the last episode.

4. 2025 author a month list.

5. Vietnamese coffee, where have you been all my life?

#5joysfriday

dabbe 🧡🤎💛 1mo
julieclair I have never even heard of Vietnamese coffee! I‘ll have to look for it now… 😀 1mo
mcctrish Vietnamese coffee is amazing ( someday I hope I can get one in Vietnam ) 1mo
DebinHawaii A lovely list! 💛💛💛 Vietnamese coffee is so good! ☕️ Thanks for joining in. 1mo
35 likes4 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
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Pickpick

Author Cassandra has written two successful memoirs, then a less celebrated novel, and returns home to write about a murder carried out by a girl she grew up with.

This started slowly, picked up in the middle, but then the ending was a let-down. I thought I saw the twist coming, but the denouement wasn‘t anything like as interesting! The tag-line is an exaggeration - there‘s no huge reveal, it just fizzles out.

Still a pick, but only just.

TrishB But a great review 👍🏻 3y
Cathythoughts Yes ! Great review X I‘ll pass though 👍😁 3y
59 likes2 comments
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GripLitGrl
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful covers!!! 💗🦋 6y
vkois88 🐛🐛🐛 this is as close as I could get to a butterfly 😂😂😂 6y
GripLitGrl @vkois88 you're a beauty!👑 💖 6y
39 likes4 comments
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azulaco
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
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Pickpick

Enjoyed this one, as I enjoy all Laura Lippman books. I liked the explanation she came up with to solve the mystery. There is no resolution to the actual case the book is loosely based on, so we‘ll never know if she‘s right. Also interesting for its flashbacks to growing up in integrating Baltimore, though not getting deep into the racial issues of the time.

14 likes2 stack adds
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azulaco
Life Sentences: A Novel | Laura Lippman
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This book is loosely based on an actual missing child case in Baltimore, and the further I get into it, the more I want to know what happened in the real case. It was never resolved. The mom never disclosed what happened to her child. Interested to see how Laura Lippman handles it. #usareadingroadtrip #Maryland

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Magpiegem
Mehso-so

Well after reading two of Lippmann books recently I believe we will now part ways. This book was ok but it was predictable. It also seemed to fall out of my brain every time I put it down. I just couldn't remember what I had read! This has never happened to me before. Definitely not very gripping!!

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litmuggle
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Bailedbailed

I'm sorry but this book just is not doing it so I bailed. I felt like I was reading through a haze and nothing was sticking with me. I thought there was way to many added details I didn't need and could care less about. Apparently it's not just me most of my book club dnf this bad boy even the ones that always push through. I just don't see how this one all these awards

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litmuggle

This may not be my best #litsypartyofone we all have strep throat and are miserable at my house. I only got about 50 pgs read but this book is pretty intresting hopefully today will be a reading better day.

MCYmermaid Sorry you are suffering from strep! 😷 7y
EchoLogical Feel better soon 🙂 7y
Sace Ew. I hope you feel better soon! 7y
AmandaL Oh no! Feel better! 7y
14 likes1 stack add4 comments
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litmuggle
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Starting this bad boy for bookclub it sounds pretty intresting. Anyone else read it? Maybe it will keep me from jumping ahead in Outlander.

#litsypartyofone

StephanieMarie Well if you did happen to jump ahead on Outlander, you wouldn't be alone. I finished it the second week of August like the shameless binge reader I am 😔 7y
litmuggle @StephanieMarie I have opps I think ill be done this weekend. What can I say I just can't get enough Jamie. 7y
Magpiegem I started this one this weekend and I have a weird thing happening. When I'm reading it I enjoy it but as soon as I put it down I literally cannot remember what I have read! I don't know why it's grabbing me but not my memory!! 7y
litmuggle @Magpiegem your not alone it's just not sticking with me either I thought it was because I was sick. 7y
21 likes4 comments
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Magpiegem
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We are off to live in a wooden pod for the weekend! So I've picked up my first actual physical book off my bookshelf in a couple of months. Looking forward to reading it by torch light!! Happy weekends everyone!

LeeRHarry Have a great time! 😊 7y
litmuggle Did you finish it. It's not you it's the book. Apparently out of my whole book club only 2 people finished it and no one enjoyed it. I just had to dnf it I felt like I was reading in a daze. 7y
Magpiegem Urgh @litmuggle I'm still trying to force my way through it. It's good to hear I'm not the only one who has struggled. I'm just finding it so tough to care about the characters and the story isn't drawing me in at all. There's something about the structure I don't like. Do you think it's worth finishing? Is there a good ending!!??? (edited) 7y
23 likes3 comments
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Magpiegem
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Treated myself to a couple of new books from the charity shop. Everything's Q9 so it's hard to say no! And I deserve a treat for dealing with all that is the 3 year old monster in the background every day! I wanted to read a Laura Lippman after hearing about her on the #crimewriterson podcast and The Dinner was just a random pick!

Cinfhen Cutest monster I ever saw 8y
Magpiegem Thank you @Cinfhen - you wouldn't say that if you had witnessed him today. We got thrown out of a play date 😭 8y
Cinfhen 😂😂😂 HaHaHa now, I like him even more 😉 8y
13 likes3 comments